Course Syllabus
LSI 5622 - History of Federal Indian Law and Policy Part I
(MLS & LLM Students)
Contact Information & Availability
IPL Program Manager
Course Details
For a list of course activities, scroll to the bottom of this page.
Course Description
This course traces the development of British colonial and United States policy towards indigenous peoples in North America from the Seventeenth through the late Nineteenth Centuries.
Course Delivery
Asynchronous Online: Learning occurs online, using technology such as video lectures and discussion boards, assignments, assigned reading, and quizzes. This course is delivered across 7-weeks, therefore, weekly submittal of assignments is required.
Course Prerequisites
None
Course Materials
Prucha, Francis (1986). The Great Father: The United States Government and the American Indians (Abridged Edition)
Program Learning Outcomes (PLO)
- Conduct quality legal research involving the complex laws and policies of federal Indian laws.
- Discuss the relationship between legal sources from the U.S. system of government involving the Constitution, Supreme Court decisions, and federal statutes and polices with respect to the structure and interpretation of civil and criminal law, administrative law, and tribal law as related to the three sovereigns (federal, state, and tribal sovereigns). In written exercises the students discuss issues concerning the three sovereigns.
- Analyze major historical federal statutes, Supreme Court decisions, treaties, and Indian policy initiatives from the seventeenth century through the present, including the eras of Removal, Allotment, Reorganization, Termination, and Self-Determination.
- Critique federal Indian laws and policies related to criminal and civil jurisdiction in Indian Country, tribal courts, natural resources, and religion, culture, and Indian law.
- Analyze problems and formulate solutions using legal sources concerning federal Indian laws in water resources, gaming laws and regulation, Indian child welfare, and international instruments in International Indigenous Law.
- Communicate ideas, concepts, and biographies about issues among the Indigenous population as related to federal Indian laws and policies.
Course Learning Outcomes (CLO) Alignment
| CLO | Description | PLO |
|---|---|---|
| A | Discuss and analyze major Indian policy initiatives from the Seventeenth Century through the Peace Policy. | 3 |
| B | Explain and analyze major historical federal statutes and Supreme Court decisions implementing and interpreting federal Indian law and policy. | 2 |
| C |
Assess current policy discussions and interpretations based upon an understanding of the historical development of federal Indian law and policy. |
4 |
Grades
Breakdown
| Activity | Description | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Introductions | Discussion forum assignment | 2% |
| Weekly Discussions | Weekly on-line asynchronous | 28% |
| Quizzes | Biweekly and multiple choice | 30% |
| Final Exam |
Comprehensive final exam Note: LLM Students have an |
40% |
| Total | 100% |
Scale
This course will be graded on a 12-point scale.
| Points | Letter Grade | Percentage of Points |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | A+ | 100%-97% |
| 11 | A | 96%-94% |
| 10 | A- | 93%-90% |
| 9 | B+ | 89%-87% |
| 8 | B | 86%-84% |
| 7 | B- | 83%-80% |
| 6 | C+ | 79%-77% |
| 5 | C | 76%-74% |
| 4 | C- | 73%-70% |
| 3 | D+ | 69%-67% |
| 2 | D | 66%-64% |
| 1 | D- | 63%-60% |
| 0 | F | 59% or below |
Note: Grades will be calculated with no more than 2 decimal points and will not be rounded up or down.
Course Components
Introductions
In the spirit of getting to know one another, please introduce yourself to other members of your cohort. Share who you are, where you are from, your tribal affiliation if any, and something interesting about yourself. You may also briefly share your educational background and work experience. Finally, describe how and in what ways this course in History of Indian Law and Policy relates or can contribute to your interests, current work, or work aspirations. You are also asked to reply to your peer's introduction as part of the introduction assignment. See the Discussion Guidelines in Canvas for specific instructions.
Weekly Discussions
You will participate in weekly online asynchronous discussions. The online “Discussion” questions will relate to the lectures and readings you are assigned each week. You are expected to make an active, informed contribution in the discussion forum as involvement in online discussions is essential to your overall learning in this course.
For full discussion credit, you are required to post responses according to the discussion guidelines. Quantity and quality are important when replying to classmates’ responses, and substantial responses are required. For example, “I agree” or “I like what you said” does not constitute a substantive and meaningful reply, because such statements do not add to the discussion.
To earn full discussion points, the reply must be related to the course topics for the week. You should include ideas or perspectives from reading of the textbook, cases, and statutes and/or include examples, relevant follow-up comments or questions. Be sure to follow all instructions posted in Canvas. In addition, the initial discussion posts each week must include in-text citations and a reference list.
To earn full credit, the initial post and replies must answer the discussion prompt and must meet the criteria listed in Canvas for each discussion.
Discussion replies are not optional. The replies are an essential part of the discussion assignment. In addition, you should read all posts and replies. Learning takes place within the discussions from comments other students may make. You are expected to engage in discussions using civil discourse.
Note: You are required to follow the Netiquette Guidelines. These guidelines are in the course introduction. Read the guidelines before the Unit 1 Discussion. Then, refer to them as needed.
Quizzes
There will be three (3) quizzes. At the end of weeks 2, 4, and 6, you will take a quiz on the readings and lecture material.
You should consider developing study notes from the lectures and readings each week to prepare for the quizzes and the final exam. The quizzes and final exam will measure your knowledge and comprehension of details of historical treaties, cases, statues, events, and people contained in the course material.
Final Exam
The comprehensive final exam will cover the material from Weeks 1-7. You should develop notes each week from lecture videos and readings on cases, statutes, events, people, and dates to use in preparation for the final exam
Course Policies
Communication
Virtual Office hours will be held each week. A weekly Zoom meeting will also occur in Weeks 1-7. See the Canvas Modules for the times and links for Zoom Meetings.
Both the Zoom meetings and the Virtual Office hours provide opportunities to ask questions. Communications should be accomplished primarily through Canvas and by email. Your emails will be answered within 24- 48 hours of their arrival unless prior notice of a delayed response is provided.
Please put the course prefix and course number in the subject line and the purpose of the email (Example: LSI-5622-995 – Question about a citation).
All communication in this course should reflect kindness and respect. This includes emails to the Professors, the IPL Course Managers, IPL staff, and your peers. All communication should follow the Netiquette Guidelines.
Announcements
It is essential that you check for announcements several times each week. You are responsible for the information conveyed in the announcements. It is recommended that you set up a notification for announcements.
Email Account, Canvas, & Zoom
You are expected to check your OU email account and the Inbox on Canvas daily for updates from the instructor. You will also need to be sure to do the following:
- Set your profile photo as well and make sure to set up your Canvas notifications.
- Update the Display Name in your Canvas profile so we know what you prefer to be called!
- It is also recommended that you download and install the Canvas Mobile app for your device for on-the-go access to course materials, due dates, and communications.
- Add the Zoom App to your computer and set up your OU Zoom account for weekly Zoom meetings and Zoom conferencing with your professors or course managers.
Links to How-To Guides
Feedback
I may provide comments on assignments, and I may also request the course manager or Dr. Roden to assist in posting feedback on my behalf.
Feedback will be available through grades for article reviews or by email in the Canvas “Inbox.” In addition, points earned can also be viewed as feedback as they reflect your ability to follow assignment guidelines and apply critical thought and analysis to the content. Pay attention to assignment instructions. If you are not precisely following the guidelines, a deduction in points will occur.
If you have specific questions about feedback, email Dr. Roden. It is your responsibility to view the grades each week, read the feedback, and apply the feedback to your next assignment. Feedback will be posted 3 to 5 days after the due date unless otherwise notified.
Late submissions will be graded within five (5) days after submission. Questions about Grades will be posted in Canvas under “Grades” and will not be provided via email. The professors are responsible for evaluating and determining grades and are the final decision-maker on grading issues.
Using your Canvas Inbox email account, questions about grades should be addressed to Dr. Roden who will confer with Professor Robertson. You should raise questions about grades on specific assignments promptly after receiving the feedback and grades on these assignments, and questions about the overall course grade should be raised no later than two weeks from the date of the original grade report.
Do not email the course manager or the TA about grades. If you have specific questions about grades, email Dr. Roden.
Use of Turn-it-In
You should understand and agree that all required written assignments are subject to submission to Turn-it-In. This is a service that provides textual similarity reviews for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the applicable reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers.
MLS & LLM in Indigenous Peoples Law History of Federal Indian Law and Policy | 5
University of Oklahoma College of Law submissions are compared to University of Oklahoma documents, the general Internet, journal databases, and other schools’ submissions. While students retain copyright to their original work, faculty can and do submit students’ documents to the Plagiarism Checker to protect the academic integrity of the university environment, which is a permissible academic use of students’ work.
Late Policy
If you know you will miss an assignment or exam deadline, it is your responsibility to make arrangements prior to that deadline. You must receive permission in advance for an extension.
Please email Dr. Roden from Canvas mail to request permission for an extension on assignments. When extensions are provided, students must adhere to the extension deadline or risk receiving a deduction or zero on assignments. In the case of an emergency or illness, the student must contact Dr. Roden no later than the day of the assignment. Students missing a due date habitually (two or more times) without a prior arrangement may not receive credit for that assignment. In such cases, documentation of the emergency may be requested before the work will be accepted. Excuses for illness and emergencies will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. No “extra credit” work will be authorized.
Do not email the TA or Course Manager regarding extension requests. Email Dr. Roden with these requests. In the case of religious holidays including participation in Tribal Ceremonies, you must notify Dr. Roden at least two weeks in advance to work out a plan to reschedule exams and assignment due dates. Because this is a seven-week course, extended absences from discussions and other assignments are not permitted.
Generative AI Policy
🚩🚩 (required component, text may vary and could be included, as long as it is explicit, in Academic Integrity Language)
In addition to syllabus policy language, you are encouraged to have Generative AI policies for each assignment in your class. This level of discussion about Generative AI will help reduce confusion among students about what is appropriate versus inappropriate usage. Even if you choose to implement a Generative AI ban, explaining how Generative AI could, but shouldn’t, be used, and why, on specific assignments, will help students navigate a digital environment in which Generative AI is increasingly integrated into search tools, e-books, Microsoft and Google products, etc. For examples of assignment policies and more, please visit CFE’s Generative AI course.
Five policy examples are provided based on the AI Assessment Scale (Perkins, Furze, Roe, and MacVaugh 2024), and a sixth that indicates that the policy will change depending on the specific assignment. The AI Assessment Scale was intended to be used for policy guidance on individual assessments, but may also be used across your course, if appropriate. You may also want to mix and match the sample statements to more closely align with your course goals and pedagogical approach. Please view the AI Policy Examples page for details and verbiage about each policy example. 🚩🚩
Plagiarism
This content aligns with QM Specific Review Standards: Recommended (3.6). Plagiarism is the most common form of academic misconduct at OU. There is no college-level assignment that can be satisfactorily completed by copying. OU's basic assumption about writing is that all written assignments show the student's own understanding in the student's own words. That means all writing assignments, in class or out, are assumed to be composed entirely of words generated (not simply found) by the student, except where words written by someone else are specifically marked as such with proper citation. Including other people's words in your paper is helpful when you do it honestly and correctly. When you don't, it's plagiarism.
For more information about plagiarism, watch this video and then take this short course offered by University Libraries.
IPL Completion Policy
The Indigenous People Law (IPL) program expects students to complete all assignments to pass a given course, regardless of the number of points earned. Discussion assignments must be completed, including the required replies in the discussion forum. The replies in discussion assignments are part of the assignment.
University Academic Policies and Student Support
Access the University Academic Policies Document.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|